Lightning Awareness

Thunderstorms produce some of the most powerful weather on earth and the most dangerous aspect of thunderstorms is usually lightning.

For the last 10 years, lightning has killed and injured more people in Colorado than any other thunderstorm hazard, with an average of 3 fatalities and 15 injuries each year. Colorado lead the country in number of lightning fatalities in the 2006 with 6 deaths.

Nearly half a million lightning bolts strike the ground in Colorado each year. One bolt of lightning could power several homes for a month because each stroke contains millions of volts of electricity.

Metal objects and water are good conductors of lightning. Jim Pringle of the National Weather Service says, "We recommend that the safest place to be during a thunderstorm is inside of an enclosed building or a vehicle, a metal roof vehicle with all the windows and doors closed."

But if you can't find a building or get to your car, the next best thing is to crouch in a low lying field or ditch.

KKCO firmly believes in freedom of speech for all and we are happy to provide this forum for the community to share opinions and facts. We ask that commenters keep it clean, keep it truthful, stay on topic and be responsible. Comments left here do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of KKCO 11News.

Online Public Information File

Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or fccinfo@fcc.gov.